Means for operating power-transmitters



D. F. GEIGER. MEANS FOR OPERATING POWER TRANSMITTERS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1916- RENEWED MAR. 26, 1921.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETS--SNEET 1.

D. F. GEIGEH.

MEANS FOR OPERATING POWER TRANSMITTERS. APPLICATION FILED NOV- 20, 1916. RENEWED MAR.26,1921

1,396,954. Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

ZSHEEIS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID amonaor nimnnaroms, MINNESOTA, Assrcmoa or onE-rnmn To Aa'rmm :0. corn, or MINNEAPOLIS,MINNESOTA.

MEANS FOR OPERATING POWER-TRANSMITTERB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 20, 1916, Serial No. 132,262. Renewed March 26, 1921. Serial No. 455,985.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVIDF. Gamma, a citizen .of the United States residing at Minneapolis, in the county of ll-Iennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for Operating Power-Transmitters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in means for operating power transmitters for use more particularly, although not exclusively on tractors, wherein the transmission mechanism is of friction type. The primary object of this invention is to provide simple and improved mechanism for causing the power transmission mechanism to easily and quickly effect forward revolution, idle revolution or reverse revolution of the driven member. a t t A further object is to provide means for actuating the operating mechanism where by a flexible line can by a pulling and release action cause the various movements ofjthe-parts desired. v

To these ends my invention comprises the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of a tractor having my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan of part of the structure illustrated in *ig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan of a detail, part of the structurebeing in section; Fig. 4 is another plan wherein the parts are illustrated in i a different position than that shown in Fig.

3; Fig. 5 is a 1plan of a fragment of m invention, and ig. 6 is a section of a ragment of my invention.

The drawings illustrate one way of constructing my invention. It will however, be understood thatthe invention is applicable for other uses than that appearin in the drawings and described by the fol owin specification. i t i Tn the drawi.ngs,letA represent the frame or body of atractor of suitable construction to support the prime mover 2 and transmission and controlling or operating mechanism forming part of ,my invention. B indicates one of the traction wheels which isjournaled upon the shaft 3, the. latter being carried bythe frame A. i The traction of which the teethof apinion 5 mesh, said pinion being carried by a countershaft 6, which is journaled on the frame A. This counter shaft carries a sprocket wheel 7, which is driven by a link belt 8 passing around a sprocket pinion 9, said sprocket pinion being feathered upon a sleeve 10, which is journaled upon the main crank shaft 11 of the prime mover 2. It will be understood that this mechanism may be duplicated on both sides of the machine, one set of mechanism being adapted to transmit power and drive the wheel B, while the other acts in a similar manner in driving another wheel on the opposite side of the machine not illustrated, but a detail description of which can be obtained from my companion application for improvements in tractors, executed by me of even date herewith. It will be observed that the countershaft 6 constitutes a driven member while the main crank shaft 11 is the driving member. a

Disposed on the driving member 11 and adapted to be revolved thereby is a power transmitter C having a pair of friction gears 15 and 16 formed with corresponding inner conical faces 17 and 18. The friction gear 15 is rigidlysecured to the driving member 11 by a key 19, and is formed withan internal conical clutch surface 20 with which a clutch member 21 is adapted to move into and out of frictional engagement to transmit motion from the driving member 11 to said clutch member. The clutch member is formed as an integral part of the sleeve 10, which is slidingly and freely mounted upon the crank shaft. The sprocket pinion 9, which is adapted to assist in conveying motion to wheel B is slidably secured on the sleeve 10 by the feather 22 and the friction gear 16 is rigidly secured to said sleeve by the same feather, the pinion 9 being interposed between the adjacent friction surfaces of the friction gears. A cup member 25 is secured on the outer end of the driving member 11. slidingly over a hub portion 26 formed on the friction gear 16 by means of a set bolt 27 and contains a helical expansion spring 28, which being seated in said cup and pressing against a shoulder 29 on the hub 26, tends to slide the sleeve and the gear member 16 inwardly on the drivingmember with the friction surface of the clutch member 21 into engagement with the conical surface 20 in the friction gear 15. Thus motion is transmitted by the clutch'member 21 from the friction gear 15 and driving member tothe friction gear 16,

.unless the friction gear 16 is forced outwardly along the driving member with the clutchmember 21 disengaged from the friction gear 15. e

' The operation of the power transmitter C is'controlled'bv a friction pinion D, said pinion directly cooperating with the power transmitter. Said pinion D is mounted upon a thrust shaft 35, which is slidingly supported in a bearing 36, which is carried by the frame A. The friction pinion D has a conical surface 37, which is arranged in outward position of the shaft out of contact with the conical friction surfaces 17 and 18 (see Fig. 2,) respectively of the friction gears'15 and 16. When said shaft is'moved inwardly toward the axis of the driving member 11, the friction gear 16 is first engaged and the friction gear 15 secondly engaged'by the friction pinion. These three positions of the pinion constitute successively goaheac, stationary and, reverse positions, to correspondingly effect the "revolution of the driven member 6. When the pinion D is in go ahead position as illustrated in Fig. 2, the clutch member 21 is held in engagement with the friction gear 15 under the tension of the spring 28. In stationary position, the pinion D is adapted to hold the driving gear 16 against the tensionof the spring 28' with the clutch member 21 disengaged from the friction gear. 15 as illustrated in Fig. 3, the pinionbeing out of contact with gear 15. Inreverse position, (see Fig. 4,) both friction surfaces 17 and 18 are engaged by thepinion D, and while the clutch 21 is held in disengaging position, motion is transmitted from the friction gear 15 to the friction gear 16' by said pinion in reverse direction and the driving sprocket9 revolved in an oppositedirection.

The thrust movement of the shaft 35 is effected by hand by the driver or operator who may be situatedat a distance from the transmitter G by a flexible line 40, or rod, said line being loosely attached to an eye 41 onthe upper end of a controlling lever 42. [This controlling lever is pivoted near its lower end by a pin 43 supported by a bearing 44 carried by the frame A. The end ofthe thrust shaft 35 which slides in the bearing 36 is hingedly connected at "its outer'end with a portion of the lever 42 above" said pivot bearing by means of a pivot and slot connection 46. "The lower depending" portion of the operating lever 42 below the pivot pin 43 is attached to a spring 45,'which is anchored on the main frame of the machine, and normally tends to draw V the lever'42 and the thrust shaft 35 into go '65 ahead position of the vehicle as illustrated with three radiating arms 50, 51 and 52, the

intermediate portion of said keeper being tiltingly mounted upon the lever arm by means of a pivot 53. When the arm 42 is in stationary or intermediate portion, that is, when the driven member is at rest, the arm 50 on the keeper engages the quadrant in the notch 47 and is adapted to hold the arm 42 against the tension of the spring in median position.

The shoulder 48 on the quadrant is located immediately back of the notch 47, and as the lever 42 is swung by pulling on the line 40 from stationary toward reverse position, (see Fig; 4,) the keeper arm 50 rides over the shoulder 48, and tilts the keeper back into the position shown in Fig. 4, so that when the lever 42 is released, the keeper will escape the notch 47, and allow the lever to return under the force exerted by the spring 45 into go ahead position. This action is permitted by sufficient play and freedom between the shoulder 48 and each of the arms 50 and 52. If it is desired however to move the lever 42 from stationaryto go ahead position, that is from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 1, the arm 50 will escape the notch 47, if the arm 42 is reversed immediately after being drawn past stationary position and allowed to return without assuming reverse position, (see Fig. 5). A spring catch in the form of a slide (see Fig. 6) movable longitudinally on the lever by an anti-friction roller 56 sliding in a longitudinal slot 58 and drawn down by a spring 59 is adapted to engage either of the slanting faces 60.0n the upper end of the arm 51, of the keeper, so as to hold the keeper in either forward or backward position. The antifriction roller 56 is adapted to ride over the crown or apex of the slanting faces 60 when sufficient tilting effort is imparted by the shoulder 48 against the lower curved surface of the arms 50 and 52. The force of the spring catch automatically urges the keeper with its arm 50 engaging the notch 47 when the lever 42 is first drawn forward, but allows the pawl to tilt while sweeping over the shoulder 48 when the lever 42 is swung toward reverse position until the antifriction roller rides over the crown of the slanting faces 60, whereupon it holds the keeper with its arm 50 tilted up above the notch 47, in whichposition the keeper is held until the lever 42 is released and the arm 52 sweeps over the shoulder 48 after it is too late for the arm 50 to engage said notch.

Thus the transmission mechanism is controlled to operate in idle, go ahead or reverse positions, by the pulling and releasing action of a flexible or rigid line and without holding the line under tension when the parts assume stationary or at rest position.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the class set forth, comprising, in combination, a revoluble driving element, a revoluble driven element, transmission mechanism interposed between said parts comprising a friction gear couple hav ing one member attached to said driving element and the otherslidable and revoluble independently of saidfirst member and connected with said driven member to revolve the latter in one direction, a clutch interposed between said driving and driven members, a revoluble pinion slidably disposed between and adapted by sliding movement to disconnect said clutch, spread said gear members and transmit reverse motion from one gear member to the other after said clutch has been disconnected, and means for sliding said pinion.

2. Apparatus of the class set forth, comprising, in combination, driving and driven members, a pair of. friction gears, one being attached to said driving member to be driven thereby and the other slidingly and revolubly carried and attached to said driven member, a clutch interposed between said driving and driven members to effect when engaged the revolution of said driven member in one direction, spring pressed means normally urging said sliding gear and theparts of said clutch into a position to effect the engagement of said clutch, a pinion slidingly disposed with its driving face adapted to engage the friction face of one of said friction gears, disconnect said clutch and stop the transmission of power from the driving to the driven members and also movable into a position to transmit reverse motion from the driving to the driven members, and means for moving said pinion into said positions.

3. Apparatus of the class set forth, com prising, in combination, a pair of driving and driven elements, a transmission unit coupled to said driving and driven elements for revolving the same, means movable into plurality of positions for effecting the operation of said transmission elements, one of said positions causing forward revolution of said driven element, intermediate position permitting idle revolution of said driven element and another position causing reverse revolution of said driven element, an operating lever for changing said positions, means for holding said lever in adjusted position and a flexible line adapted to control the operation of said lever.

4. Apparatus of the class set forth, comprising, in combination, a pair of driving and driven elements, a transmission unit coupled to said driving and driven elements for revolving the same, a single pinion movable into a plurality of positions for effecting the operation of said transmission ele' ments, one of said positions causing forward revolution of said driven element, intermediate position permitting idle revolution of said driven element and another position causing reverse revolution of said driven element, and means associated with said pinion for moving the latter into said positions.

5. Apparatus of the class set forth, comprising, in combination, revoluble driving and driven elements, transmission mechanism interposed between said parts, comprising a pair of friction gears one being fixed on one of said elements and the other gear fixed on the other of said elements, a clutch interposed between said driving and driven members, resilient means urging the parts of said clutch into engagement to transmit revolving motion from said driving to said driven members and a single pinion slidably disposed between said gear adapted in one position to depress one of said gears and release said clutch to permit the idle revolution of said driven member and in fully inserted position to engage both of said gears while said clutch is released and transmit reverse motion from said driving to said driven members.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

DAVID F. GEIGER. 

